How can I obtain a retirement visa in Thailand given recent banking restrictions?

Apply for Non Imm O-A visa from a Thai embassy outside Thailand.

Is anyone bringing this us at the ministerial level?

This is very bad publicity for a competing economy.

You apply for a 90 day non o visa outside the Kingdom after you arrive on this you get a letter of residency from immigration by supplying them a 3 months at least TM30. Take that with passport home country ID to bank open account. Deposit sufficient 0 baht to get one year extension go back to immigration after its been in bank 8 weeks minimum and apply

If you use agency and 0 thb in the bank you get with in a month

They even extend 60 days visa for you too

Use agent you can open the account easy

Even my friend got a driver license without no visa for only 2000 thb so

Impossible makes possible right .

Good luck 👍

How it’s hard? They only want 1 (one) app from a bank, so not several bank apps…

The crack down is to stop the Russians mainly. The Russian mafia are the one pooling the money to get people in. They are building Russian enclaves and working illegally. They are running illegal tours hotels and transfers targeting other Russian tourists.

Japan is much better than Thailand or not?

Perhaps, if you apply for a Thai OA retirement visa in your home country you do not have to have a bank account in Thailand. It is required that you have the Bt800,000 in an Australian Bank, not in a Thailand bank. That is my experience. I have previously had 2 AO visas using simply an Australian original bank statement (not a copy but an original statement only).

I decided to simply visiting my girlfriend once a year for as long as I can, will have to to be sufficient. Otherwise, Thailand simply wants too much of a hassle.

Banks in Thailand are like everywhere in the world, interested in having good stable custormers, that have a permanent address on a long lease, a steady easy traceable income, and use the account all year round.

That is why the banks are reluctant to give accounts to people on short time ( read: tourist ) visas, and who only spend part of the year in Thailand.

Don’t expect to get a residence certificat, until you have stayed at a permanent adress in at least 3 month, since that is what the residence certificat should confirm.

Furthermore the added attention on whitewashing of money, is an added burden on the banks, so reluctant depositing large amounts isn’t a guaranteed way to open an account.

The value of a resident certificat, had gone down, since Immigration Officers are giving them to people that are not on a longterm visa, or have stayed severel months at 1 adress in Thailand, so even if it is a formal requirement, the bank make up their own assesment of the stability of the want-to-be customer.

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In khon kean ... 2 days of failures to open a bank account. I'm trying to remain positive

Just apply for evisa abroad for non-o. Then arrive on the non-o and you shouldn't have any difficulty opening a bank account to get your 12 month extension at the end of your initial 90 days.

@Michael *****

apply for the 90-days Non-Imm-O Retirement Visa via the e-visa system of the Royal Thai Embassy in Japan. Enter Thailand on this visa, get stamped in for a 90-days stay permit. Visit an agent immediately and get your bank account opened. Transfer a minimum of 800,000 THB onto your account, wait until it has seasoned for two months and apply for the "1-year extended stay permit" on Immigration. Should you need to exit Thailand while being on the 90-days stay permit, buy a re-entry permit for 1000.- THB - it will keep your 90-days stay permit alive until its original expiry date

It is now

Why is there so much conflicting issues on social media, I’m retiring to Thailand at the end of this year and I’ve done all my homework on what’s needed here with my 2 friends who have been through this procedure ,apply for a non-0 which I will get in my own country and then open the bank account when I arrive in Thailand, is this not true anymore? If so, how can you prove your financial status for your extension?,I will get the printout for all details from the immigration office who will deal with my retirement extension and not lister or read misleading posts on facebook anymore

Get your 90 non-O visa from the Japan embassy and enter Thailand on the non-O. You should then be able to open a bank account on that visa

Money needs to be in the account for 2 months before you apply for the extension so you jave time.

It is only difficult to open a bank account if you don't qualify. You need a long term non-Imm visa. Apply through the Thai embassy on-line. If you qualify they will grant your visa for 90 days. Arrive in Thailand, find somewhere to live (hotel for a few weeks will suffice) and make sure they have reported you living there. Then visit Immigration and ask for a Residency certificate to open a bank account. They will even address it to the branch of the bank you'd like. Open the account with the minimum funds required for your type of visa. Once the funds have been in there for the required period, usually 2 months, apply for the 12 month extension

Why don’t we foreigners pool our money together and open a goddamn bank in Thailand? Thinking outside the box once in a while!

I’m pretty sure it’s only DTV ( tourist visas) that are having issues with bank accounts not the others so retirement should be ok

Why can't you come in and out of Thailand from Japan? I know many Japanese residents who do so every 3-4 months visa exempt. I was one until getting my DTV recently. You can get a bank account via an agent despite some saying you can't , you can

It cannot be done whilst this ban is in place , agents can’t even get it done , they say will last a month or so so just have to wait and see how long it lasts

I have bank account years here, going for visa extension Thursday, Hua Hin bank said won't give me letter stating 12 months foreign transfers, will give me bank statements 12 months.... originally opened bank account pattaya and Hua Hin said go there for letter. They said open new account Hua Hin no problem and use for next year's extension, told them this year is issue get refused won't be a next year visa. Jumping thru loads hoops isn't for me. Maybe lazy bank employee didn't want help here, find out Thursday. I suggest go around loads banks ask as some staff are helpful, good luck

An agent can do it for you